Complaint to Vigilance against poor road condition

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, February 6

A resident of Guler Sukrit Sagar on Wednesday submitted a complaint with the SP vigilance and anti-corruption bureau, Kangra, regarding poor construction of the Dehra-Haripur road. The complainant, while talking to The Tribune, alleged that the people of the area were suffering due to poor condition of road. The union government had sanctioned Rs 10 crores under Central Road Fund (CRF) for the road but the funds have not been used properly, he alleged.

Sukrit alleged that the PWD had paid over Rs 1.5 crores to the contractor but he had constructed just 20 per cent of the road. “We have demanded that the Vigilance should inquire into the role of sub contractors involved in the construction of road and poor quality of work”, he said.

He said that the people of the region have been forced to take the step as despite their repeated complaints to various authorities no action has been taken against the contractor for inordinately slow progress of work and poor condition of road.

State highway leading from Dehra to Haripur was in a shambles causing a lot of inconvenience to the residents of the area. The condition of the road has gone from bad to worse despite the fact that funds worth Rs 10 crores were provided for its widening and strengthening to the PWD.

As per the information gathered by The Tribune the tender for the road was allotted in May 2018. The road was to be completed by December 2019. However, till date just 20 per cent work of the road has been completed and the entire road was in bad shape.

Sources here said that as per the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the road 25 pipe culverts were to be constructed. However, only 12 pipe culverts have been constructed so far. The contractor was to construct 12 RCC culverts. However, till date no RCC culvert has been constructed. The contractor also had to construct a V-shaped drain along the road but the work for it was yet to start.

PWD officials said the government had granted six month extension to the contractor till June 2020 to complete the road. However, the work was going on at a very slow pace. They have recommended to the Chief Engineer to cancel the contract and imposition penalty on the contractor for failing to carrying out the work.